If our earning capacity might be impacted by downsizing, today's economic uncertainties, or the opportunities described above, now is a good time to reconsider, reassess and update our careers, financial plans and goals.

If our forte lies in our different perspective, it makes sense to stop running our lives as a function of what's going on "out there." It's time to reidentify who we uniquely are and where we want our lives to go. If we look closely we probably could muster the time, money, and freedom to get there. The first step is to shift the focus to our own needs and wants.

The second step is to keep our own counsel. Beware of basing plans on mainstream advice such as from Money magazine. Apart from the disturbing fact that these media are biased to their investment advertisers, their market is clearly tilted toward heterosexual families. We have far different discretionary income, mobility, diversity - and problems. Why sell short our lesbian or gay assets?

Why should we have to rely on straight print media when the most effective communication is often nonverbal and face-to-face? It may be far better instead to hook up with a gay or lesbian mentor - an invaluable feature of our ancient Greek heritage. Let's network through the emerging gay & lesbian business groups, hook up through electronic bulletin boards, and join support groups.

These times do not call for traditional passive measures. Apart from saving, the best investment most of us make is in ourselves - not in pinning hopes on the stock market, especially given current conditions. We need to invest not only money but time in ourselves.

Whether overworking or out of work, add skills. Reading books, taking courses, practicing keyboarding, surfing the internet may be better investments than dabbling in the market.

This may be a good time to read books like the Corporate Closet or the 100 Best Companies for Gay Men & Lesbians. The exercise of introspection, reflection, and imagination on future possibilities may be as important as all the hours we spend in the gym trying to hold onto our past youth.

If you want to hit the ground running when you open the corporate closet, pull together a home office now if only to know you can do it. People who work at home are already establishing their independence as a business person. It may not make sense as a deduction but as a practical and symbolic measure it can't be beat.

Is there a passion that can become a side business - and source of eventual deductions as well as income and identity? Are there ways we can become intrapreneurs - insider entrepreneurs - not just to safeguard our jobs but to create better ones?

Entrepreneurship may be the path to expressing ourselves 100% if our corporate lives have become nothing but closets and caskets. In today's economic climate, we can use our corporate experience, contacts, savings - and the work itself - to capitalize our new businesses - producing in the bargain freedom, self-expression, and an income stream of our own making.

The bottom line is that we can do much more in the 90s than simply hang on or dig in. Just like our employers, perhaps now's the time to divest, downsize, refocus our own core concerns and reinvest around what makes us uniquely us.

If corporate America is succeeding in doing it, we certainly can - with the advantage of our mobility, lower fixed costs, experience in handling risk and guerilla life skills. No matter where the check is coming from, welcome to the era of Me-As-I-Really-Am, Inc.